Reenforce device for tool handles and process of making the same



Jan. 15, 1924. 1,480,823

N. G. LARSON REENFORCE DEVICE FOR TOOL HANDLES AND PROCESS OF MAKING THESAME fiveyzifir: flzis agsfaf Zarawa Patented darn. l5, real.

hdhhhld l arnt-tr cler cal NILS GUSTAF LARSON, F ATTLEBORO,MASSACHUfiETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMES SHOVEL JERSEY.

NEW JERSEY, A. CORPORATION 015' NEW REENFORGE DEVICE FOR T001; HANDLESAND PRGCESS OF MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed January 1 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, NILs Gosrnr LARSON, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and resident ofAttleboro, in the county of Bristol and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented new and useful improvements inlleenforce Devices for Tool Handles and Processes of Making the Same, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to tool handles and relates more particularly tometallic reinforcing .devices for wooden handles of the fi-type and to aprocess of making such devices.

Handles for shovels, spades and similar tools usually comprise a woodenhaft which is split at its upper end to provide a fork whose sides ortines are spaced apart and held in diver-gin relation by means of a gripbar insertedlietween theirends. Cornmonly .a rod extends axially throughthe grip bar and through the tines of the fork, and is headed over atits opposite ends to secure the parts in operative relationship.

In order to prevent splitting of the ends of the grip her under thestrain of use it is common to encircle its ends with metallic rings orferrules and in some instances these rings or ferrules have beencombined integrally or otherwise with cap members enclosing the jointsbetween the ends of the grip bar and the side members of the handie, andwith attaching brackets or braces extending lengthwise of the handlemembers for distributing the strain longitudinally thereof. Whentheseseveral elements have been integrally united no practical method hasheretofore been known by which the ring or ferrule could be formedwithout joint or seam and even though care be exercised in uniting, asby welding, the-ends of those ortions of the blank composing the ring, te completed ring is not as strong as a seamless ring would be and oftenopens at the joint. Therod extending through the her is thus called uponto support the entire force applied to the grip bar and under thisstress frequently bends, splitting the grip bar and ruining the handle.

T e principal object ofthe present invention is to provide a metallicreinforcing device comprising in a single unitary 's'truc-' 1922. SerialNo. 610,723.

ture a seamless ferrule adapted to prevent splitting of the end of thegrip bar, a cap for covering the end of the fork member and the jointbetween the latter and the grip bar, and an attaching member or bracketextending lengthwise of the fork member, together with a novel form ofblank from Which such reinforcing device may be made and a novel processof manipulating the blank to produce the finished article. In theaccompanying drawings there 1s illustrated by way of examples. preferredform of blank useful in constructing a reinforcing device in accordancewith the present invention, together with certain stage productsillustrating the various steps comprised in such process, and also thefinished article as applied to a tool handle. In such drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view of a sheet metal blank of preferred form;

F g. 2 is an edge view of the blank;

F 1g. 3 is a front elevation showing the blank after the performance ofthe first steps in the operation;

Fig. 4 is a transverse cross section on the 1 line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation showing the device at the end of the nextfollowing step in the operation;

Figs. 7 and 8 are front side elevations respectively showing the blankat the comple tion of the next step in the process;

Figs. 9 and 10 are front andside elevations respectively showing thecompleted device; and Fig. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view showingthe upper end of a tool handle of D-form having the reinforcing deviceof the present invention applied thereto.

In accordance with the present invention the preferred form of blank, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2, is formed from sheet material such as steel by astamping or punching operation. This blank is of broadly spatulate form;comprisin the head por- 'tion' .1, and the elongate s ank portion 2. Thehead portion terminates in an arcuate edge 3 and is provided withstraight diverg-..

ing lateral edges 4, 15, substantially tangent fell to the circle ofwhich the edge 3 forms an arc. The extremities of the curved end 3 donot however, directly merge with the sides 4, 5, but are separatedtherefrom by cars 6, 7 outstanding from opposite edges of the blank.These ears comprise the laterally extending straight edges 8, 9respectively, the sides 10, 11 which are substantiall parallelrespectively with the edges 4, 5 of the head proper, and the curvedportions 12, 13 uniting such straight edges 10, 11 with the edges 4, 5of the head. The shank is provided with substantially parallel lateraledges 14. 15 which are united with the extremities 16, 17 of thediverging straight edges 4, 5 ot the head by the curved elements 18, 19.The outer ends of the edges 1a, 15 are united by the curved edge 20constituting the end of the shank. As the shank is narrower than thehead this edge 20 may be or shorter radius than the curved end 3 or" thehead.

The blank thus formed is subjected to the action of suitable dies orother forming tools which bend the shank and head transversely intotrough-like form, giving such shank and head a substantially cylindricalcurvature. The material of the end portion of the head 1 is so Worked asto form a cup having a substantially flat. circular bottom 2l.lyino" ina plane perpendicular to the plane of the original blank and whose sidewalls are formed by the flange, as defined by the broken line a -y, Fig.5, comprising the portion 22 forming an integral continuation of thehead 1, and a portion 23 which extends from the edge 9 of one 1 car tothe edge 8 or the other. The portion 22 of this flange properlyconstitutes a part of the head 1, but for convenience in description isherein referred to as included in the flange. By reason of the greaterwidth of the head 1 than the shank 2. the sides of the cylindricallycurved trough like structure resulting from the operations justdescribed will be deeper at the head portion of the device than in theshank portion thereof. During the process of forming the cup the metalof the head flows to such an extent that the: edges 4. 5 of the head arebrought into substantial parallelism.

The next step in the operation consists in removing the entire bottom 21of the cup to leave the opening 24, this operation being performed bypunching or other suitable process. In Fig. 6 the device is shown in endView after the completion of this step of the process, the side wallsonly of the cup remaining and forming the continuous seamless ring 25comprising the portions 22 and 23 of the flange previously described.The openin 24 thus formed is -of substantiailv the diameter of the gripbar or the handle which the devicejs to be applied masses -During thisoperation the edges 10, 11 of the ears 6, 7 are brought into engagementwith portions of the edges 4, 5 respectively of the head of the blank,and while the abutting edges may if desired be Welded,

this is not necessary, as no substantial strain is imposed upon thecompleted device when in use such as would tend to separate the abuttingedges. In thus bringing the ring 25 into parallelism with the shankportion of the flange, the width of the ears 6, 7, as defined by theedges 8, 9, serves to determine the spacing of the portion 23 of thering from adjacent portions of the shank, leaving an opening 27 betweenthe part 23 and the shank of sutlicient size to admit the end of a tineof the forked portion'of the tool handle.

After the above operation has been completed the device is subjected tothe action of dies, punches or other suitable tools which bend the shankportion 2 in a longitudinal direction, as indicated in Fig. 10 toconform to the curvature of the outer face of the tine member of thetool handle, While openings 28, 29 are formed in the head and shankportions respectively for the reception of fastening devices.

The completed reinforcin device shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 is appliedto a handle as illustrated in Fi 11. In this view the haift of thehandle is indicated at 30, such haft being bifurcated or split at itsupper end to form the fork comprising the tines 30 30*, which are heldin spaced diverging relation by means of the grip bar 31 interposedbetween their free extremities. A reinforcing device constructed inaccordance with thr present invention is applied to the upper end ofeach forkmember in such manner that its cap portion 26 covers andencloses the upper end' of the corre sponding fork member while theflange,

portion of such cap, comprising the element 23 encircles the grip memberand constitutes a ferrule for preventing splitting thereof. The shankportion of are device extends downwardly along the fork memher and maybe secured thereto by meansloi.

.a. fastener 33 extending through the opening 29. A rod 32'passesthrough the opening 28 and axially through the grip bar 31 and thenceoutwardly through the oorre spending opening of the oppositereinforcdevice, such-bar being. preferably incense riveted over at itsopposite ends to secure the parts in operative relationship. As thusconstructed the reinforcing device is integral and seamless, and theferrule forming a portion thereof is sufiicient-ly stron to withstandany strain to which it may be subjected without dan er of opening orbreaking. The attaching brackets being integral with the ca s 26 serveto distribute the strain impose upon the latter over a considerable areaof the fork member, and as the device is in one piece, it requires aminimum amount of labor to apply it to the handle. In accordance withthe process as described, the reinforcing de vice may be made verycheaply and requires no welding operation for securing its several partstogether. While the blank shown in Fig. 1 is preferred, it iscontemplated that slight variations in the shape of the blank might bemade without substantially afiecting the process involved in producingthe finished device, and without substantial variation in the shape ofthe device as completed.

I claim:

1, A reenforce device for tool handles oil that type having divergingside members spaced at their ends by an interposed grip bar comprising aseamless sheet metal terruie for the reception of the end of the gripbar, and an elongate attaching bracket integrally united to the ferruleand shaped to fit against the side member of the handle.

2. A reenforce device for tool handles of that type having divergingside members spaced at their ends by an interposed grip bar comprisingan integrally continuous sheet metal ferrule member for the reception ofone end of the grip bar, a cap integral therewith for covering the jointbetween the grip bar and the side member of the handle, and an attachingbracket integral with the cap and depending therefrom, said attachingbracket being shaped to fit against the side member of the handle.

3. A rcenforcedevice for tool handles of that type having diverging sidemembers spaced at their ends by an interposed rip bar, comprising a capportion adapts to embrace the end of one of the side members of thehandle and to cover the joint between the latter and the gri bar, aseamless sheetmetal ferrule integra with the cap for embracing the endof the grip bar, and an elongate attaching bracket integral with the capand of proper shape closely to conform to the outer surface of thehandle member.

4, That stage roduct in the production of reenforce devices for toolhandles comprising an axially narrow cylindrical sheetmetal ring havingspaced ears projecting axially from one edge, and a trough-like parthaving walls forming an integral continuation of the edge of theringbetween said ears, that portion of the trough-like part remote from thering being shallower than at that portion where it joins the ring.

'5. That process of making reenforce devices for tool handles whichcomprises as steps, forming an elongate blank from sheet material,working the material at one end of the blank to form a fiat bottomed cuphaving its bottom perpendicular to the axis of the shank and a portionof its side wall in integral continuation of the adjacent part of theblank, removin the flat bottom of the cup to leave a circular opening,and bending the wall portion of the cup to lie in a plane 1parallel tothe plane of the original blan v 6. That process of makin reentorcedevices for tool handles whiccomprises as steps, forming a blank fromsheet material, working the material at one end of the blank to providea cup having its bottom lying in a plane perpendicular to the plane ofthe original blank, removing material from the bottom of the cup toleave a circular opening, and bending the remaining material of the cupto bring the plane of said opening into parallelism with the plane ofthe original blank.

7., That process of makin reenforce de vices for tool handles whiccomprises as steps, forming an elongate blank from sheet material ofgreater width at one end than at the other, the wider portion beingcurved at its end and having ears outstanding from its opposite edgesand defining the extent of said curved end, bending said blank intotransversely curved trough-like form and working the material at thewider end of the blank to form a cup having its bottom perpendicular tothe axis of the blank and with the curved end o1 the blank forming aflange member constituting the wall of the cup between the lateral edgesof the blank end and in integral continuation of the latter, removingmaterial from the bottom of the cup to leave a seamless ring, andbending the wider end of the blank including said ring and the earsuntil such care engage the adjacent edges of the blank and the ring isbrought into parallelism with the plane of the original blank with itsedge spaced from the main body of the blank by the width of said ears.

8. That process of makin reenforce devices for tool handles whiccomprises as steps, forming a sheet metal blank having head and shankportions, the head portion having a curved end defined b earsoutstanding from opposite edges 0 the blank, subjecting the blank topressure to impart a cylindrically curved trough-like form thereto, andto form the endportion of the head into a hat bottomed cup having itsbottom substantially perpendicular to the axis of the blank andprovidedwith a do lid connecting the opposite edges of the blank, punching outthe bottom of the cup, bending the cup portion of the head to lie in aplane substantiaily parallei to the plane of the original hiank untilthe edges of the outstanding ears contact with adjacent edges of thehead, bending the shank portion in 2.

longitudinal direction, and forming openings in the head and shankrespectively for the reception of fastening devices. 10

Signed by me at Attleboro, Massachusetts, this 30th day of December,1922.

NILS GUSTAF LARSON.

